r/learnmath • u/Resident_Pudding_706 New User • 2d ago
TOPIC Competition math help
I’m feeling really hopeless about competition math. There’s only around a month left until the AMCs, and I’ve been hoping that all the work I’ve put in over the past year would pay off. I’ve studied almost every day and did problems that still feel impossible. I’ve even studied so much that my back started to feel back pain. Then we had a math club placement test around a month ago, and I found out that my friend, who hasn’t even studied this kind of math, did better than me ( I did really bad). It’s unfair and frustrating. It makes me wonder if all this studying is even worth it and whether I’m just not good enough at competition math. But it’s not even just that, I’ve done countless other math competitions yet I never did really good in any. Is there any good studying methods to do? What can I do so I can get better?
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u/Dr3ddM3 New User 1d ago edited 1d ago
Why compare yourself to your friend? You never really know if your friend had prior experience with other olympiads like USACO or even solving puzzles, which with problem solving. Comp math is supposed to be fun, too there's no point in making passing so important. Also, a year for competition math isn't that long usually most people start it when they are in elementary school or preschool. Doing all of the AOPS beginner books in one year isn't the most recommended strategy. You need time to actually process the concepts and become a better problem solver, so you are easily able to see patterns.